questions about eating post sugery

Options
Bedee
Bedee Member Posts: 24
edited March 2014 in Esophageal Cancer #1
Hi I'm new here and have been reading through the posts. You folks seem so helpful I thought I'd ask about my eating problems.

On April 15 Mayo removed the esophagus. The eating plan, starting with clear liquids for a week, then full liquids, then soft anti-dumping food. The clear liquids seemed OK, but started occasionally feeling queasy on full liquids.

Then when I moved on to the soft food, I started belching and retching and feel nausea. One doctor moved me back to liquids. Mayo took me off the feeding tube for a couple days.
While I love being off the feeding tube, I'm still retching, almost like stomach cramps. It does seem to be related to eating, but usually an hour or so later. It doesn't seem to matter what I consume by mouth, even plain old water makes me a little nauseated and causes retching. Has anyone had this experience? Any advice for me?

More information -
I was originally diagnosed with breast cancer, and had a mastectomy. While recuperating from that, they found the second primary cancer, esophageal. I initially planned on having the surgery, but due to some unidentified spots on my lung, opted to go with the local doctors recommendation for chemo and radiation. I had 3 rounds of chemo, cisplatin and 5FU, and 28 doses of radiation. That ended around Dec 1, and CAT scan was negative.

I never had an endocscopic ultrasound, so the staging is questionable. Records show staged at I T1 N0 M0, but at least one doctor disagrees.

Regardless, the surgery was done 4/15 at Rochester MN. The path report shows no evidence of cancer in the removed esphagus or surrounding tissue. And the spots on my lung weren't cancer. So, all should be good, but not if I have to be on a feeding tube forever.

thanks for your help

Comments

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #2
    Options
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • Bedee
    Bedee Member Posts: 24
    #3
    Options
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    clarification
    William, You do have a lot of questions, let me try to answer.

    I had a biopsy of the esophagus, which found the cancer, more precisely adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction. The biopsy was read by University of Michigan and University of Washington, both confirming the results. The ultrasound just would have stage the cancer more precisely, and would have to have been done prior to the chemoradiation.

    Following the chemo and radiation, Xray, CT scan, and PET scan were clear (no evidence of cancer). Nevertheless, doctors at both U of Washington and Mayo persuaded me that the chance of re-occurence was too great - 90% - not to have the esophagectomy. The Ivor Lewis procedure was performed at Mayo in Rochester MN, removing all the esophagus along with the junction to the stomach. And I do have a jtube.

    I don't feel like I have trouble swallowing, and I'm not coughing. I just feel, whenever I eat something, an unpleasant feeling in the back of my throat, and occasionally something like stomach spasms, along with the retching.

    Over the past 2 weeks, I've tried eating different things, chicken broth, yogurt, canned pears, cottage cheese, apple juice, aloe vera juice, toast, sauteed vegetables, cooked cod. I have to stress these are very small servings, maybe 4 bites. Nothing seems to work. I've seen my doctor here, who recommended I return to full liquids, and talked to Mayo, who took me off the feeding tube for a few days.

    I know I haven't answered all your questions, but maybe enough to clarify things. Thank you for taking the time to respond so thoughtfully, and perceptively.

Discussion Boards